REVIVING OLD NEWS - PROTESTING MILI

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Subject: REVIVING OLD NEWS - PROTESTING MILITARIST GOVERNMENT OF BURMA 

PROTESTING MILITARIST GOVERNMENT OF BURMA (House of Representatives -
June 06, 1997)

                                      [Page: H3572]  GPO's PDF

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentlewoman from Oregon [Ms. Furse] is recognized for 5 minutes. 

Ms. FURSE. Mr. Speaker, for a number of years now I have been deeply
concerned about the militarist government in Burma and by its repression
of human and civil
rights of the citizens of Burma. In particular, I have protested the
many years of house arrests suffered by Nobel Prize winner, Aung San Suu
Kyi. 

Therefore, Mr. Speaker, I was extremely pleased when on April 22 the
Clinton administration imposed sanctions on Burma, and I wrote to
Secretary Albright about this. I
would like to read into the Record the letter I received from the
Secretary's office: 

As you know, on April 22 the President announced his decision to impose
a ban on new U.S. investment in Burma. He took this step in response to
a constant and
continuing pattern of severe repression by the SLORC. He imposed the ban
under the terms of the Burma sanctions provisions of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act for
fiscal year 1997. 

During the past 7 months, the SLORC has arrested and detained large
numbers of students and opposition supporters, sentenced dozens to
long-term imprisonment, and
prevented the expression of political views by the democratic
opposition, including Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for
Democracy. The SLORC has also
committed serious abuses in its military campaign against Burma's Karen
minority, forcibly conscripting civilians and compelling thousands to
flee into Thailand. 

She goes on to say: 

The United States and other Members of the international community have
firmly and repeatedly taken steps to encourage democratization and human
rights in Burma.
With the imposition of the ban on new U.S. investment, we seek to keep
faith with the people of Burma, who made clear their support for human
rights and democracy in
1990 elections that the regime chose to disregard. We join with many
others in the international community calling for reform in Burma, and
we emphasize that the U.S.
Burma relationship will improve only as there is progress on
democratization and respect for human rights. We continue to urge the
SLORC to lift restrictions on Aung San
Suu Kyi and the political opposition, to respect the rights of free
expression, assembly and association, and to undertake a dialogue on
Burma's political future that
includes leaders of the NLD and the ethnic minorities. 

                                            [TIME: 0915]

I congratulate the President and the Secretary of State for their
actions, and I pledge my continued support to the people of Burma in
their brave and continuing struggle for
democracy in their own land. 

The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Thornberry). Under a previous order of the
House, the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. McIntosh] is recognized for 5
minutes. 

[Mr. McINTOSH addressed the House. His remarks will appear hereafter in
the Extensions of Remarks.]